Thursday, April 28, 2005

Really, Wired Cola is not about the politics!

It's true. This site is not about politics. It's just the world's best (and still the only) cybermorphic weblog. Just like the title. And to prove it, I'll end this post with a note about a cute dog.

But some things, political or not, are too amusing not to highlight.

Item: Paul Martin says the corporate tax cuts he axed at the NDP's behest can still be saved. This is epic stuff! When you deglaze the meat of this story, what Martin seems to be saying is that he will gladly screw up the deal he made with the NDP at any moment as long as the Tories will help him.

No, let's be fair. I don't think he's suggesting he'll actually renege on the spending he has promised the NDP. That would be super-evil. I think he's just suggesting he's willing to make the budget $4.6 billion fatter than he had planned.

I think Martin believes he is being clever here: if the Tories support the separate tax cut, they look like business-loving ogres and deficit spenders. The NDP look like social mush-heads and free-spenders. The Liberals look like the Natural Governing Party. I think Martin misunderstands how transparently craven his actions look.

Fortunately, unless my guess is wrong (and it almost always is), the budget is going to fail, and will take the government with it.

Special bonus cravenness: Jack Layton says the Tories are getting into bed with separatists. Dear Jack: you're shacking up with embezzelers, and ones largely responsible for the present electoral strength of the separatists. If you'll pardon the analogy, this is burglars looking down their noses at divorcees.

* * *

Fortunately, we are now at the part of the post with a dog in it.

This morning I stepped out onto the backyard deck, only to find a small dog curled up there, looking a bit bedraggled. He was quiet and friendly. I gave him some food and water, then told The Lovely One about our visitor. She came out and petted him, gave him some food, and made his acquaintance. She spent an hour or two in the back yard just taking care of this nice doggy.

Poor guy. He's got a collar, but no tag. I guess finding his owner will be this evening's task.

There's a thematic lesson here which I think I ought to take to heart: as fun as it is to fulminate about what happens in Ottawa, your important duty in life is to mow the lawn and take care of stray dogs that wander into your life. Fit the fulmination into the leftover time.